Thursday, July 23, 2015

Review of The Paladin Prophecy

Book #29. The Paladin Prophecy, by Mark Frost.
Unabridged audio.

If the author’s name rings a bell, it may be because of the
previous half-dozen or so novels he has written over the years. Or it may be because
Frost the “other guy” who co-created the seminal 1990’s TV series “Twin Peaks” with
movie director David Lynch.

Frost’s first YA novel has some of the hallmarks of his famous
TV work, although at a much reduced level. The book include prophecies,
conspiracies, secret societies and young people with odd powers. But despite
these “out there” concepts, Frost manages to ground the world of this book by
creating interesting and realistic characters.

Will West has always been told by his parents to stay “under
the radar,” to draw no undue notice to himself, and to never excel in school or
sports. But as the novel starts, his life is thrown upside-down by an attack on
his parents. He barely escapes, but finds that he has physical and mental
abilities that are way beyond average. And he realizes that his parents have
been preparing him his entire life for this moment.

Will manages to make it to The Center, and exclusive school
that has become interested in his “talents.” Comparisons to Harry Potter could
be made here, but there are plenty of examples of YA novels that take place at
schools. Frost does enough to differentiate his work from others. Of course, the school contains students in secret societies, faculty with hidden agendas, and administrators who may be too good to be true.

Some aspects of the story told in this novel do come to a
resolution, but the broader story is clearly intended to continue into the
sequel. The third book in the series is to be released later this year. I
intend to pick up book two in the near future.